That special time of year is here again. It's time for the annual Russellville Junior High East-West football showdown at Cyclone Stadium. The game, which is part of the RJHS homecoming festivities, will kick off at 6 p.m., following the naming of the homecoming king and queen.

This year's game has an added flair. The Westside Whirlwinds (7-2, 5-1 River Valley Junior High Conference) are in a tie with Searcy atop the conference and, with a win, can clinch at least a share of the conference championship.

"Yeah, it's a huge game for the kids -and there's a little bit more to it," RJHS West coach Josh Edgin said. "There's a lot on the line including the whole East-West rivalry and, basically, bragging rights for three years."

The East Whirlwinds (3-6, 2-4) struggled early before gaining momentum in the final weeks leading up to this game. Both coaches want to win and agree this will be the toughest, most exciting game of the season.

"We would love to get a win," RJHS East head coach Rick Correia said. "Our kids have put in a lot of work, and we're expecting the best every year in the East-West game -it's usually the best game of the year. I'm expecting the best out of the West, and I expect the best out of the East. It's going to be a great showdown."

"This game is never easy and (today) is not going to be anything different, it'll be the toughest game of the year," Edgin added. "They do a lot of great things and they've got a lot of great kids over there. Just about every game this season we've been able to walk in and know we're faster than the other team. This game I don't know that we're going to be there. It's going to be a matchup of two great teams. More importantly, they all know each other, and they play with an added energy, you know, like 'We've got to walk the hall with each other.' This year we're pretty evenly matched with each other. But even years when one team was way better than the other, this game always turned out to be a good ballgame just because of the pride the kids put into it."

The West Whirlwinds have relied on defense and team speed this season, and Correia said he's been working with his East team to get them ready to face their counterparts.

"We worked hard this week on making sure to wrap up on tackles and getting to the football," he said. "I'm expecting 11 bodies to get around the ball on every play. They have great athletes, so if they make one guy miss and we don't have another guy there, they're liable to take it all the way. So, we've tried to make sure our kids fly around to the football."

Edgin's group has a different problem. With a quarterback who can throw the ball and some speedy and tall receivers to catch it, his team will be facing something they haven't seen all year.

"To play against Cody (Jones), first we've got to be sound," he said. "We've got to be in the place that we're supposed to be in. We just can't have mental mistakes -we have to be flawless on defense and make sure our mental preparation is there.

"We practice to not allow the big play. They're going to get their catches, and they're going to do the things that they do. Our job is to, when they do get their catches, just get them down on the ground. Our motto is 'Always live for another play.' You know, if you have another play on defense, that means they haven't scored yet. And the more plays an offense is out there, the better the odds are for a turnover or punt."

Correia said his team's biggest concern was RJHS West's speed on defense.

"The thing about their defense is that they're so fast and can get to places defenses can't normally get to," he said. "So on route running we have to be very precise, and we have to be able to run the ball a little bit. That way they can't just bail out and drop into coverage. Last week (against Vilonia) was our first week all year that we ran for over 100 yards. So I'm hoping for another good performance from our offensive line again."

Bragging rights are up for grabs, not just for the teams, but also for the student body. The kids love the rivalry and would love to see a big crowd out supporting their teams.